Quilt Reveal: Spread your Dreams and Soar

 

When I went to the sewing room to make the Orange Complements Blue Flower for the Project Quilting challenge, I saw a pattern I had printed out of a hot air balloon. I thought it was a great pattern to use and was hoping I could manage to find a way to make it fit whatever the upcoming theme was.  

I think it would have been great to use for the challenge, but I had already thought of the flower, and wanted to make that.  I realized with the small scraps I have, that I could cut out the zig zags out for the balloon, I could use the scraps for the flower. Then I wouldn't have to choose which quilt to make. I could make both.

So that is what I did. I managed to make both of these early in the week. I could have made them the same day, but I did make them a few minutes a day.

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to cut the zigzags perfectly to make them fit with each other.  I was afraid I would wind up with places there may be background. I thought about using a darker background, but instead of cutting zigzags of both the yellow and the blue, I cut the yellow zigzags, and made the blue into larger pieces. This gave me more peace of mind and worked well to avoid any gaps.

Quilt Reveal: Orange Complements Blue Flower

The theme for the Project Quilting challenge this week is "My Complements". We need to use complementary colors in our project. 

My last project turned out to be much bigger than could be completed in a week, I decided to make a potholder quilt, and managed to finish one "potholder" in time for the challenge, but that left three more to finish in my off week. (An off week is the week between the challenge weeks). I already had projects to work on during the off week, so this just added to the load. By the way, I consider the potholder that I finished to be successful because it was started and finished during the week, but I didn't get it posted in time, so please do go back and take a look at it. I think it turned out nicely.

To avoid that problem, I decided to make sure I chose a project that could be completed in one day, and uses only scraps from the scrap box. I found an art deco quilt that uses a rounded flower. It was a tiny part of that quilt, which is perfect for my project.  

I found a six inch square of blue, some leftover binding strip and some smaller scraps. This is from the Heart and Arrow Quilt, which if you remember, is blue and yellow.

So I made this, fusible applique. A nice quick project and completed and posted on time. I kept it simply quilted in that I didn't quilt the background. That is a look that I like but I have a hard time leaving things alone. I did add some machine embroidery stitch at the bottom, which I didn't like, so I switched to straight stitch for the rest of the quilt. I even remembered to put a label on it though.

I don't usually use a color wheel, and know that green and red are complements, and for some reason I was thinking that yellow and blue go together.  I'm sure I knew at one time, but I didn't care enough to retain that information.  Once I figured out that the complement is orange, I found another scrap and added the orange over the yellow. 

I entitled this Orange Complements Blue so that I would remember this lesson. I needed to add Flower at the end in case I wind up making another orange and blue quilt, and need to know which one is which.

 

Quilt Reveal: To Wash Or Not To Wash

 

The Project Quilting Challenge for the week is Common Blocks. The rule is to make a quilt with three common quilt blocks.  There is also a quote "No one owns the copyright on a 16-patch block, or an Ohio star."

You have no idea how happy this challenge made me.  I was working on a tutorial about whether you should pre-wash your fabric before making a quilt. I was thinking about making three nine patch blocks - one with all pre-washed fabrics, one with no pre-washed fabrics, and one with a mixture of both.  I was debating making three different quilts, but wondering if I could get away with putting them all in one quilt, separated by sashing. 

I wanted to keep as much similar as possible, so the experiment could focus only on whether the fabric was pre-washed.  I used fabric from the same layer cake, so that the manufacturer, the cotton, even the dye would all be the same.  I wanted to make the same block for all three blocks so that the comparison would be the same.

So when this project is announced, I read the post thoroughly.  Although I think there is an implication that the three blocks should be different, there wasn't anything that specifically said that. I didn't ask.  This challenge gives me permission, nay, it requires me to put them all three blocks in one quilt. Challenge accepted.

Making this quilt was fun. It took some added time to prewash the fabrics. I got impatient and pressed them dry, but they were small so it didn't take long, and these fabrics are not likely to shrink any more for sure. Strip piecing made the job easier, although with 10" squares, there wasn't much time savings involved with that. 

I also didn't plan the right set up for recording the process for the video, since I was using the same space for pressing and cutting, so I had to keep putting up and taking down the ironing board.

I had another, much busier, border fabric planned, so I added the peach sashing to highlight the three blocks, but eventually I decided to switch out the busy border. I did think about switching the peach with the green, but that would involve ripping out seams, and with the weekly deadline, I decided not to risk it.

I took the quilt outside to take a good photograph. The lighting is better outside than inside.

I thought I would ask Zoey to be in the picture, so I told her to come to me, but when she did, she jumped on the quilt.

And got mud on it.  It is a good thing I was planning on washing the quilt to complete the experiment.

Quilt Reveal: Making Friends

 

 I finished the portraits quilt I showed you in the last post.

I used the index card portraits as my inspiration, so I used background fabric that would result in the same size as the index cards.

I used fusible applique to add the body and the body parts: hair, whites of eyes, eyeballs, nose (optional), mouth, and clothing.

 

I decided to use the binding fabric as a border instead, and since it looked like a frame, I decided to birth the quilt instead of bind it.

I used embroidery stitches to stabilize the quilt instead of stitching in the ditch.

I added straight stitches in the border to mirror the look of the frame.

Finally, I used free motion quilting to secure all the fused pieces.

Although I had a bit of a panic when I thought the portraits would look like aliens instead of people, I settled on the idea and am really happy with how it turned out.

It took me 24 working hours to edit the video, since there were so many clips as it took me a little less than two weeks to make the quilt, and the software added extra, duplicate, and unnecessary clips.

 

15 Minutes to Stitch Week 34, 35, 36

 I have been awful about reporting my 15 minutes to stitch progress this year.  The good news is that I did stitch every day these three weeks and even finished a quilt - the Making Friends quilt I have been showing you on this post.

15 minute days these weeks --21 out of 21

15 minute days this year -- 183 out of 253 days

Success rate  = 72%

 

 

Linked with:

 15 Minutes to Stitch follow this link to see all the other people who participate in this challenge

 

Quilt Reveal: Be a Peacock in a World of Ducks

 

 

 

I was watching an episode of Quilt Nerd by Mary Fons which featured Liberty of London fabrics and one of the photos included a quilt of a peacock in a tree made with Liberty fabrics. It was one of those quilts I just had to make.

I don't have any Liberty fabric so when I went to the Cave of Wonders I was handed the same stack of fabric that I used to make my last peacock quilt, BeUnique. Copying the style or mood of last peacock quilt wasn't what I had in mind, but it's never  any use to argue with the Cave of Wonders.

But as soon as I started cutting up the pieces, I knew that it would work wonderfully.

I followed my normal pattern. Cut up the pieces and position them the background fabric. Use a glue stick to hold them down. Sandwich the quilt and sew down the applique by sewing around the shapes. Then continue to quilt as desired. In this quilt, I meandered using matching thread. This let me go over the top with quilting while keeping the quilt visually simple.

 

 

This was a fun quilt to make. I didn't try to learn any new techniques and just stuck with what I knew.

I added the hanging corners The quilt is 18" by 22".

 

I'm  participating in The Constant Quilter Wendy's Monthly Mini link-up.  Visit her blog for links to other quilters who have made small quilts. 

2022: 15 Minutes to Stitch Week 36

 

My project at work is finished and I have about a month off before the next project starts. I have been working on the list of home projects I have saved up for this time, most of it spent creatively procrastinating. I have been quilting every day, making this quilt and trimming the square in a square blocks for Jazzy Blues. I also found rulers to make the last set of blocks for Jazzy Blues. I have only been quilting a few minutes a day instead of using all my "free" time quilting. 

15 minute days this weeks --35 out of 35

15 minute days this year -- 202 out of 247days

Success rate  = 82%

 

Two happy things to share with you today. 

 

My daughter asked me if I had a quilt she could use to decorate the wall above her couch. Do I have a quilt for her wall?! I sent her pictures of the 10 quilts I have made that fit that criteria. She has seen them all, but pictures are easier than names. She chose African Circles. And to make this news even better, I was able to give it to her in person since she came to town for a family birthday party.

 

When my brother-in-law planted the tree in my back yard, we talked about getting rid of the weed bed that is outside the fence and replacing with easy to cut and maintain grass. But one of us had the idea that since the tree is small and not shading the area, we could fill out this bed with flowers. He asked me what kind of flowers, and I said I would like bright profusion of colors. He planted all this for me, and it has been delightful to come out and see all the flowers blooming and changing throughout the summer.

Quilt Reveal: Be YOUnique

 This quilt was inspired by a quilt I saw in Quilts for Kids Nepal. It isn't affiliated with the U.S. version of Quilts for Kids. I wanted to make a folk art peacock quilt.

 

I won't show you that first progress picture, because you have seen it twice already. I started with a background that feels Indian to me, and I added a green strip to add some interest in the background. I love that they both echo the shapes even though the mood of each fabric is very different from each other. 

The original quilt had piecing in the border. While I liked the idea of adding piecing to my quilt, I wanted to do something that would get me to a finish faster, knowing that I have only small bits of time to quilt this month. I am also working on a full size quilt which should remain my main quilting work.

 

I cut out the peacock freely with scissors. I noticed that the thick legs looked like the chicken or duck that I had seen in a folk art quilt and decided to let them remain thick. It would be easier to sew it down and it retains the folk art aspect of the quilt..

I cut yardage to cut out the triangles for the tail, to avoid going through the rabbit trail that is the scrap fabric boxes. Plus, I am trying to use the good stuff.

I added some applique around the peacock because I can't keep things simple. 

I echo quilted it. I knew that I wanted to add some bling to the quilt, but decided to bind it first to keep the bling from getting in the way. I have bling so I have to use it.

 It was scary to do since the quilt looked fine as it was, especially since it had a binding, but I like the crown. I put sequins on the wing and there are some on the tail feathers too. When I was looking for quotes for a peacock, the only thing that I saw was about being unique.The sequins on the tail certainly make it unique.

 

2022: 15 Minutes to Stitch Week 18 and 19

 

I haven't found time for quilting the last couple of weeks. We have been offered overtime. Normally they say unlimited, and this year there is much more work to do, but this year, we have to ask for each little bit at a time.

15 minute days these two week --0 out of 14

15 minute days this year -- 108 out of 128 days

Success rate  = 84%

 

I have a silver dollars plant that decided to have purple flowers this year. They are normally white. So pretty.

Quilt Reveal: Rey and BB8 (and Death Star) from Star Wars

 I have finished binding the Droid quilt. Yes I labeled it Rey and BB8 (and Death Star) from Star Wars, because sometimes people need help figuring out what the quilt is about.

 Since you have seen the front so many times, let's take the time to admire the back, shall we?  The two shades of orange add a nice contrast and interest to the expanse of blue.  Did you notice that it is in a straight line and in a vertical position? That little flap of beige quilted down nicely without getting tangled and lets me add the labeling without any hand stitching.

Random picture of the day from the archives: Birds

linked to:
Off the Wall Friday

Quilt Festival Fall 2018

It's time for a virtual Blogger's Quilt Festival organized by Amy Ellis from Amy's Creative Side.

To participate, you get to show off one or two of your favorite quilts!  Today, I thank you for visiting, and share with you a quilt I finished early in the year, Adinkra.   It is one of favorite quilts for many reasons.

It started out very slowly, one block a month in 2016. This really helped me during the times of the year I was incredibly busy, as it was easy to make a block (fusible, machine stitched) there was no guilt for not finishing a whole quilt. One block was a finish. The slow pace slowed me down on this quilt, and I took my time making each decision on this quilt without rushing through and accepting the first choice.

I changed the size of the applique blocks, and made a mistake in sizing the economy blocks so I lost the sharp points on the yellow, but that made the quilt turn out even better. I didn't have to fix my "mistake" and I really like how the same yellow fabric in these blocks looks like it is a different color. That open area in the intersections work to prove that it is the same fabric.

I was able to use my precious African fabrics that were waiting for just the right quilt to use. Each of the fabrics worked so nicely together too.

The quilting on the quilt was so incredibly fun. I learned about doodle quilting, and I did exactly that. Instead of making a plan for each area, I just doodled different designs as it came to me.  The thread hides most of the stitching until you take a closer look.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this quilt, and everything tended to work out on this quilt. As you can see in the picture above, even the join I had to make in the border worked well. The top of the head seamed nicely with the body on the next piece.


Even the binding went on well, with four sharp miters in the corners that look beautifully mitered.

All the pictures, and the rest of this post are from when I introduced it in February. Unfortunately, I haven't made a label for the quilt yet.

Quilt stats:

size:  44" x 44".

pattern: 2016 BOM by Debby Kravotil. Thank you so much Debby!

fabric: variety of African fabrics, most of which are metallic

quilting: free motion echo stitching around motifs, doodle stitching throughout border and remaining blocks

what I learned:

• Expanding the definition of what "matches". This quilt has lots of combinations I wouldn't have thought to use together, but my limited selection of fabrics made me stretch, and I think the result is fabulous.


• I really enjoy combining applique with piecing. The applique and the quilting were my favorite parts.


• When I first learned about free motion quilting, I thought it looked like doodling on fabric, but then I learned rules about not crossing lines, and saw lots of videos about proper quilting designs, and breaking the quilt into sections and choosing a different design for each section and lost the fact that I could truly doodle.  I truly doodled on this quilt and it was exhilarating!

I plan to make up a label that explains all the symbols on the quilt.

Linked with:
Friday Photo Fun